How to Use layup in a Sentence

layup

1 of 2 noun
  • Try to get a layup, get up three.
    — Joe Vardon, New York Times, 11 June 2026
  • Strus was nice enough to blow the layup.
    — Ngwa Numfor, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
  • But not a layup line of blow-bys.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 10 Apr. 2026
  • James missed a point-blank layup on his first shot.
    — Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026
  • This is not a layup, number one.
    — Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 31 Oct. 2025
  • Agee missed a layup on the other end.
    — American Statesman Staff, Austin American Statesman, 14 Feb. 2026
  • Gipson then had a steal, layup and free throw.
    — Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
  • Shop it all today, then go shoot a layup.
    — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Parks then flipped in a put-back layup to win, 7-6.
    — Jason Beede, Sun Sentinel, 16 May 2026
  • Turnovers and bad shots on one end led to layups on the other.
    — Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 7 May 2026
  • Wall got things going in that stretch with a layup and a three-point play.
    — Kristie Rieken, Chron, 7 Apr. 2021
  • Scheierman hit a floater and blocked a George layup.
    — Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 19 Apr. 2026
  • Goodwin scored on a reverse layup and was fouled.
    — Doug Haller, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2026
  • Why was this short considered such a layup?
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 10 Aug. 2025
  • Butler’s layup and free throws helped keep the Lakes at bay.
    — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Towns corralled the rebound and hit a layup.
    — Fred Katz, New York Times, 3 June 2026
  • McRay closed it out with a layup and a couple of free throws.
    — ABC News, 21 Feb. 2026
  • Schroder added a layup to extend the Cavs’ lead to five points.
    — ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
  • Jake LaRavia races down for a layup.
    — Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2026
  • Betts reigns supreme in the paint, making layups and rebounds look easy.
    — Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 30 Mar. 2026
  • Okananwa had traveled, missed three of four free throws and missed a layup.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 24 Mar. 2026
  • The Celtics scored just two points the rest of the way, on a Pritchard layup.
    — Steve Buckley, New York Times, 3 May 2026
  • Bridges contorts his body, and jacks up an errant layup, but the play isn’t done there.
    — Fred Katz, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
  • Larsson was wide open and would have beaten the clock with a winning layup.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 15 Apr. 2026
  • Seven of her nine baskets in the first half against Kennedy were layups.
    — Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026
  • Libby Lee ties it at 12 with a nice layup in front of the rim.
    — American-Statesman Staff, Austin American Statesman, 7 Mar. 2026
  • Havlicek, in turn, lofted the ball to a sneaking White for a layup.
    — Bob Ryan, BostonGlobe.com, 21 Oct. 2022
  • The days of him needing layups and backdoor cuts to get going are long over.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Wendell Green hit a driving layup with less than a minute left in the half.
    — Nubyjas Wilborn | [email protected], al, 20 Mar. 2022
  • Mporokoso made seven straight shots, beginning with a steal and a layup.
    — Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026

lay up

2 of 2 verb
  • Heft needed surgery and was laid up for months, unable to walk.
    — Claire Bessette, Hartford Courant, 8 May 2024
  • Others are laid up with fever, cough, and fatigue for days or weeks.
    — Arthur Allen | Kff Health News, ABC News, 26 Aug. 2024
  • Most guys will lay up to their number and try to wedge it to 10 feet.
    — Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 June 2021
  • He is badly bruised however and will be laid up for some time.
    — Kay Johnson, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2025
  • But this bruin had laid up too much of his winter’s fat already.
    — Frank C. Hibben, Outdoor Life, 13 Feb. 2025
  • With my new job’s start date looming, I can’t be laid up for days with my bike at a garage.
    — Emily Zebel, Longreads, 23 May 2024
  • This is probably the best and safest way to lay up with a prehistoric pal.
    — Kevin Cortez, Popular Mechanics, 12 Oct. 2022
  • Korda couldn’t get close enough with a wedge after having to lay up.
    — Doug Ferguson, orlandosentinel.com, 14 Sep. 2020
  • Bees and ants reproduce quickly–a queen can lay up to thousands of eggs in a day.
    — Popular Science, 29 Feb. 2024
  • Bald eagles can lay up to four eggs per year, usually between two and five days apart.
    — Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2023
  • Morikawa was laid up 90 yards out, while Henley's approach sailed right of the green.
    — Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025
  • Fruit flies like to multiply; females can lay up to 100 eggs a day.
    — Malia Wollan, New York Times, 17 Aug. 2021
  • Anson’s vessels were laid up on what was known as Rotten Row.
    — David Grann, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2023
  • Females can lay up to 100 eggs during a lifetime, which hatch in three to six weeks.
    — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 27 June 2025
  • Females can lay up to 100 eggs during a lifetime, which hatch in three to six weeks.
    — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 25 July 2024
  • From 308 yards, while on the fairway, Scheffler didn't choose to lay up.
    — USA TODAY, 20 May 2022
  • He was laid up in bed for five weeks in the summer of 1919 but returned to the job that fall.
    — Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Mar. 2025
  • These bears were laying up fat for their winter’s hibernation, and there must have been a dozen or so of them.
    — Frank C. Hibben, Outdoor Life, 13 Feb. 2025
  • Some players will lay up short of the fairway bunkers to leave themselves a comfortable full club into the green.
    — Brody Miller, The Athletic, 10 Apr. 2024
  • Adults can live up to one week, spending that time laying up to 200 eggs in the top layers of moist plant soil.
    — Katie Liu, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2024
  • But my brother and I hadn’t flown across the country to lay up after splitting the fairway on a par five.
    — Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2021
  • Amid all the action, on 15, Åberg found the trees off the tee and was forced to lay up on the reachable par 5.
    — Brad Thomas, NBC News, 14 Apr. 2024
  • Golfers will be faced with the choice of going for the green in two from a much longer spot, or laying up and focusing on the green with their third shot.
    — Paul Newberry, Chicago Tribune, 6 Apr. 2023
  • Bradley had to lay up from the rough on the par-5 14th, and Burns didn't have time to contemplate his next shot.
    — Doug Ferguson, orlandosentinel.com, 2 May 2021
  • Expect bucks to show up along entry and exit trails to these safe havens, as does filter back from feeding areas to lay up for the day.
    — Scott Bestul, Field & Stream, 20 Oct. 2020
  • Time to talk themselves into a comeback, even as Tatum remains laid up in the hospital.
    — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 15 May 2025
  • Of course, things aren’t looking so great for Stanton, either, who’s laid up after falling ill the last episode.
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2024
  • Sitting two after deciding to lay up 71 yards from the pin, Lopez needed four strokes to hole out.
    — Edgar Thompson, orlandosentinel.com, 24 Jan. 2022
  • Instead of laying up, which both players had done each of the previous playoff holes, the Australian went for it.
    — Kendall Capps, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 June 2025
  • Homa, who finished 1-over for the day, took very few chances, laying up on the final two par-5s on Saturday.
    — Jordan Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 14 Apr. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'layup.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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